An 18-month-old boy died after being struck Friday evening after walking in front of a car on Glenn Avenue east of Ustick Road in south Modesto.
The driver of car fled the scene was later arrested for leaving the scene of the 5:06 p.m. crash.
According to the CHP, the child walked onto Glenn Avenue in a southerly direction away from a front yard. The child was struck by a 2021 Toyota sedan being driven westbound on Glenn Avenue but driver Santiago Martinez, 19, of Modesto, continued driving and left the scene. The boy was transported by ambulance to Doctors Medical Center where he died from his injuries.
Witnesses followed the Toyota for about a mile before they were able to make contact with Martinez and got him to return to the scene. Mr. Martinez and passenger Daniel Garcia, 20, of Modesto, were not injured.
The CHP arrested Martinez for felony hit-and-run. He was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center.
Drugs and/or alcohol do not appear to have contributed to this collision.